Agri-Pulse Daybreak for July 29, 2016

PHILADELPHIA, July 29, 2016 - The general election campaign
is officially on. Hillary Clinton accepted the nomination by laying out a long
policy agenda and by blasting Donald Trump as shallow, thin-skinned and
unprepared. “A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man that we can trust
with nuclear weapons,” she said in her most brutal line.

In sharp contrast to Trump’s acceptance speech last week in
Cleveland, Clinton mentioned trade only briefly and in general terms. She
didn’t mention the Trans-Pacific Partnership at all. “If you believe that we
should say no to unfair trade deals, that we should stand up to China, that we
should support our steelworkers and autoworkers and homegrown manufacturers,
join us.”

She reiterated her pledge to push for comprehensive
immigration reform legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for the
11 million people who are now in the country illegally.

“When we have millions of hardworking immigrants
contributing to our economy, it would be self-defeating and inhumane to kick
them out,” she said. “Comprehensive immigration reform will grow our economy
and keep families together - and it's the right thing to do.”

She used the speech to try to reach out to economically
struggling voters who may be attracted to Trump. She said her primary mission would
be to improve the economy - “from our inner cities to our small towns.” and
pledged that she would use her first 100 days to enact the “biggest investment
in new, good-paying jobs since World War II.” She didn’t say what the plan
would include or how she would get Congress to go along with it.
Rural caucus meeting scrapped. The second of two rural council meetings at
the convention was canceled yesterday afternoon, leaving some disappointed
delegates wondering about whether the party is serious about competing in rural
areas.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean was scheduled to speak at
the afternoon session. But Betty Ritchie, a Democratic national committeewoman
from Texas, instead read a prepared statement saying that the session was being
cancelled to make sure that all delegates could get to the convention site in
time. She assured the handful of people who had arrived on time for the meeting
that “rural people are not forgotten” by the party. She said the most important
thing is to elect Clinton “and then she can help us with the rural
votes.”

But Ritchie later told Agri-Pulse in an interview
that she believes the party is “neglecting … rural voters.” She said, “We
have to have a message and we have not had a strong message for rural America,
coming from anyone.”

Mike Geirau, a party member from Jackson, Wyo., said the fact
that the meeting was even scheduled for Thursday afternoon, just two hours
before the convention’s closing session was set to start, suggested the party
wasn’t really serious about competing in rural regions. “Frankly, the party
seems to sometimes write off” rural America, he said.

It may be too early to say for sure that the Clinton is
going to leave rural voters to Donald Trump. According to The Associated Press,
Clinton is planning a campaign event in Nebraska on Monday. As we’ve reported,
Vilsack has been pleading to agricultural leaders this week to help Clinton
reduce Republican victory margins in rural areas.

Union leader pushes back on ‘radical environmentalists.’ Democrats
have put a lot of focus on the climate issue this week and making the case for
actions to move away from fossil fuels. But an exchange at an event on the
sidelines of the convention illustrates the challenges Democrats can face, even
within their own base.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., was in the audience for a
forum yesterday on clean energy sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Coalition.
He stood up during the Q&A session to argue that the only thing stopping
Congress from taking action to reduce carbon emissions was pressure on
Republicans from oil companies and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Whitehouse’s remarks prompted a union leader to stand up and
air his concerns about the pressure from what he called “radical
environmentalists” for clean energy projects. Sean McGarvey, president of North
America’s Building Trades Unions, said that renewable energy projects are
paying workers only a fraction of what they can get in conventional energy
sectors. A solar power project, for example, pays workers just $16 an hour,
only one dollar more than the minimum wage Democrats are proposing, he
said.

Whitehouse interrupted McGarvey to assert that the influence
of environmental groups paled by comparison to the oil industry. But McGarvey
told the senator that he had already had his turn to speak and continued with
his argument. McGarvey said that environmentalists have blocked scores of
energy projects that have taken the “roofs off of people’s heads and food off
their tables.”

EPA pesticide decision due today. Bayer CropScience is
bracing for a decision on whether it will be allowed to keep selling Belt, a
chemical prized for its effectiveness against various types of insect larvae.
EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board is expected to rule today on a challenge the
crop protection company filed to the agency's decision to cancel the conditional
registration of flubendiamide, the active ingredient in Belt. The insecticide
is registered for use on about 200 crops, including soybeans, cotton and tree
nuts.

An administrative law judge has already upheld the
cancellation, but Bayer contends the agency did not fully explain its
interpretation of the data behind its decision. EPA says Belt is toxic to
aquatic life, but Bayer says its own tests show the product is
safe.

She said it. “He's offering empty promises. What are we
offering? A bold agenda to improve the lives of people across our country - to
keep you safe, to get you good jobs, and to give your kids the opportunities
they deserve.” - Hillary Clinton

This week’s guest on Open Mic is Ken Dallmier, President and COO of Clarkson Grain Company. While the global grain business is dominated by supply, demand and now trade wars, this Illinois-based company functions under a customer-focused mindset. Dallmier says this generation of consumer demand is dominated by a different set of social values leading to questions over the way food is produced and the prices they’re willing to pay. Sustainability, organic and non-GMO are providing farmers an income stream isolated from traditional market forces.

Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator of the Andrew Wheeler recently announced their intent to reassess and correct the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards.

The world of agriculture extends beyond what’s growing in your field or living in your barn, and here at Agri-Pulse, we understand that. We make it our duty to inform you of the most up-to-date agricultural and rural policy decisions being made in Washington D.C. and examine how they will affect you – the farmer, the lobbyist, the government employee, the educator, the consultant and the concerned citizen.